The final week in May saw Juddmonte call time on the career of one of the operation’s finest servants. A brilliant Group 1 winning sprinter at the track, Oasis Dream went on to enjoy an exceptional career at stud. After 23 years in the breeding sheds, the influential stallion heads into a well-earned retirement at the age of 26.
A Star at the Track
Sired by the July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup-winning sprinter Green Desert and out of the Dancing Brave mare Hope, the aptly named Oasis Dream was born on 30 March 2000. Taking up residence at the Newmarket yard of John Gosden, he was a little late to the track in his juvenile season, making his debut in August of 2002.
Sent off as favourite in that Salisbury maiden, he failed to live up to market expectations in missing the break on his way to a well-beaten fifth. Stepping up to 7f next time failed to work the oracle, but he did produce an improved effort when fading close home to finish second. An inauspicious start, and one which did little to suggest that Oasis Dream would find himself in the Group 1 winners’ enclosure just two starts later.
Oasis Dream’s Juvenile Season
| Date | Race | Course | Position | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/8/2002 | Maiden Stakes | Salisbury | 5th | 7/4 Fav |
| 30/8/2002 | Maiden Stakes | Sandown | 2nd | 7/4 Fav |
| 20/9/2002 | Maiden Stakes | Nottingham | 1st | 1/3 Fav |
| 3/10/2002 | Middle Park Stakes | Newmarket | 1st | 6/1 |
Breaking his duck with ease in a five-runner Nottingham maiden, Oasis Dream was pitched into the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes on his final start at two. Taking his place in a field containing Prix Morny 1-2, Elusive City and Zafeen, and the well-fancied Tomahawk from the yard of Aidan O’Brien, Oasis Dream was sent off as the 6/1 co-third favourite. Up with the pace throughout, he joined Tomahawk in battle at the 1f poll before finding another gear to announce himself on the big stage with a 1½l success. A brilliant end to his debut season, but Oasis Dream’s most iconic performances would come at three.
Making his return in a vintage renewal of the King’s Stand Stakes, Oasis Dream finished third behind Aussie sensation Choisir and Acclamation – both of whom would go on to successful stallion careers. Sticking to the top-tier sprinting programme, Oasis Dream headed to the July Cup for his next outing, with Choisir, Acclamation, and the flying filly Airwave lying in wait. This time, Oasis Dream was not to be denied. Wearing Choisir down over the final 2f, the mount of Richard Hughes forged clear close home, emulating his sire, Green Desert, who claimed the Newmarket Group 1 in 1986.
Showing he could do it over five furlongs as well as six, Oasis Dream’s final win came when mastering a field of seven older rivals in the Nunthorpe Stakes. With two of Britain’s biggest sprint prizes on his CV, Oasis Dream was deservedly crowned the European Champion Sprinter for 2003.
Oasis Dream’s Three-Year-Old Season
| Date | Race | Course | Position | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17/6/2003 | King’s Stand Stakes | Ascot | 3rd | 6/1 Fav |
| 10/7/2003 | July Cup | Newmarket | 1st | 9/2 |
| 21/8/2003 | Nunthorpe Stakes | York | 1st | 4/9 Fav |
| 6/9/2003 | Sprint Cup | Haydock | 2nd | 8/11 Fav |
| 25/10/2003 | Breeders’ Cup Mile | Santa Anita | 10th | 13/2 |
Five of the Best at Stud
Retired at the end of his three-year-old season, Oasis Dream embarked on his second career as a stallion. Taking up residence at Barnstead Manor Stud, he sired over 850 individual winners during his 23 seasons at stud. With 14 wins apiece, Muarrab and Sleepy Blue Ocean were the most prolific of his offspring, with the former counting among his 18 Group or Grade 1 winners. Despite winning over £1million in prize money, Muarrab narrowly misses a place on the list of Oasis Dream’s top five sons and daughters when judged by official ratings:
- Native Trail, Peak Official Rating: 122 – Unstoppable during a blistering two-year-old campaign in 2021, this Godolphin star won all four starts, including a brilliant Group 1 double in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes. While his contemporaries caught up to him at three, he still added the Craven Stakes and Irish 2,000 Guineas to his haul. Now retired to stud, his first foals are due to hit the track in 2026
- Muhaarar, Peak Official Rating: 121 – Whereas Native Trail posted his best efforts at 7f-1m, Muhaarar followed in the footsteps of his sire to take the sprint division by storm. Showing signs of promise in a juvenile season headlined by a win in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, this Charles Hills runner blossomed as a three-year-old. Following a failed experiment when upped to a mile in the French 2,000 Guineas, he blitzed through the 6f Group 1 programme with electric wins in the Commonwealth Cup, July Cup (keeping the family tradition going), Prix Maurice de Gheest, and Qipco British Champions Sprint. Now pursuing a career in the breeding sheds, the pick of his progeny to date is the Group 1-winning miler, Cicero’s Gift
- Midday, Peak Official Rating: 121 – This Sir Henry Cecil-trained star of the early 2010s is 1lb shy of top spot on ratings but leads the way in Group 1 wins. Regularly locking horns with talents such as Sariska, St Nicholas Abbey, Snow Fairy, and Rainbow View, Midday struck six times at the top level between 2009 and 2011. Highlights included the Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Yorkshire Oaks, and a record-setting three wins in the Nassau Stakes
- Main Aim, Peak Official Rating: 121 – Representing Sir Michael Stoute and sporting the same Juddmonte silks as his father, Main Aim never quite managed to win in Group 1 company – coming closest when second in the 2009 edition of the July Cup. However, he did strike twice at Group 3 level when winning the John Of Gaunt Stakes in 2009 and 2010
- Aqlaam, Peak Official Rating: 120 – Fifth place goes to this William Haggas runner, who actually finished one place ahead of Main Aim when third in the 2009 edition of the Queen Anne Stakes. Successful at the Royal Meeting as a two-year-old, when winning the Jersey Stakes, Aqlaam’s finest hour came with a stylish success in the Prix du Moulin in 2009. Retired to stud at the end of his four-year-old season, Aqlaam sadly passed away at the age of eight due to complications emanating from a gut infection
With a string of sires at stud and an established reputation as a broodmare sire, Oasis Dream’s influence will be felt for generations to come. Paying tribute to the star who will live out his days at Barnstead Manor Stud, the stud’s general manager, Simon Mockridge, stated:
“Managing this wonderful stallion over the past 23 years has been both a great pleasure and a privilege.”